Our planet could have been called "Water" instead of Earth, due to the immense amount of vital liquid it houses. For a reason it is blue and not ocher, although the atmosphere also helps to paint that wonderful tone, envy of the other planets of the Solar System, not to mention the exuberant and varied life that has developed on Earth, precisely thanks to water.
However, and here comes the obligatory question: How, being three-quarters of the surface of our planet Water, there is no drinking water for everyone? The answer is obvious. The largest quantity of H2O is salty, not suitable for human consumption or other species.
In my time as a child and adolescent, a long time ago, I had been thinking about the problem and not only imagined flying cars, underwater cities or space cities for that then distant year 2000. I also fantasized about supersonic desalinators scattered throughout the five continents. It did not fit in my mind that on the planet of Water not everyone could have a glass of the transparent and drinkable liquid at hand when they were thirsty.
97.5% of the water that exists on our planet is salty and of the rest, not everything is suitable for human consumption. At present there is a production of about 24 million cubic meters per day of desalinated water in the world, for a supply of more than 100 million people. Desalination plants have several drawbacks. In the salt extraction process, polluting residues are produced that can harm flora and fauna. In addition, they represent a high cost of electricity consumption.
In the prelude to the era of artificial intelligence and clean energy, it should not be so difficult to convert salt water into fresh water without causing problems. This would not only solve thirst, but also hunger derived from the drought that prevents planting and therefore supplying the food that is needed in many places.
We still have time to set aside a little money from military budgets and manufacture fewer atomic bombs and missiles to conquer the liquid continents that overflow our planet with their salty waters. Drought is no longer exclusive to remote villages, it is also approaching the gates of large cities at full speed. It is unthinkable that on planet Agua there is no drinking water for everyone.
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